Roll With the Punches
by Wralai
Summary: roll with the punches. DEFINITION adapt oneself to adverse circumstances Life goes on. There's tragedy, hope, birth, death, and Sagestar, founder of the brand new RainClan, hopes to keep the furure bright, even through the trials and tribulations that life throws her. T for some upsetting scenes.
1. Introduction

With only the wind to keep her company, Sagestar made her way through the forest to the Moonpool. She knew she couldn't survive in the forest alone, and so she decided that she wanted an advisor, someone to aid her in leading her clan as it grew.  
After a long trek, she reached the Moonpool and gently touched her nose to its glimmering surface.  
"StarClan bless me with a deputy to aid me. I have nothing to offer in return but my faith."

And she waited by the Moonpool for what felt like an eternity. Her paws started to ache by the time she heard pawsteps approaching her.  
She whipped around to see a fluffy white tomcat with pale blue eyes.

"StarClan has sent me a dream," the cat said, awfully loudly for the short distance between them.  
"I'll go ahead and assume my dream meant to go to you. Is that correct?"

Sagestar winced briefly at his volume but nodded.  
"I would think so. I requested a deputy. Do you believe you're qualified for that kind of position?"

"I would like to say so. My name is Mallow, but I know enough about Clans to know that you'll probably add something or change that. Who're you?"

"I'm Sagestar, leader of RainClan."

Mallow paused for a few moments as if contemplating what he would say next.  
"You should know that I'm mostly deaf. I may speak loudly, and you may have to repeat yourself. Does that affect your decision?"

Sagestar shook her head.  
"Not in the slightest."

Time passed and Sagestar got to know her new deputy. Once she'd pinned down his most prominent trait, she gave him his suffix - cloud.

He simply nodded and smiled quietly when she told him.

Sagestar pondered the best choice for patrols for a few moments before deciding.  
"Could you check the borders? I'll go hunting."

Her deputy nodded and got up to go check the borders, while Sagestar headed to hunt in the forest.

 **I have tooooons of other chapters (almost twenty, I think?) ready to go up and they are MUCH longer.  
This is an older section, written back in April. Furutre chapters are better written.**


	2. Chapter One

Mallowcloud paced around the border, his tail flicking rhythmically. The border was quiet, and the only sounds he heard were the snow falling and wind hissing. That was why he nearly jumped out of his fur when he heard a voice.

"Hello?"

Mallowcloud slipped back and planted in the snow. He got up and shook off his fur, hoping that the voice hadn't watched his failure.  
"Yes, hello, hi. I'm Mallowcloud. Who're you?

There was a chuckle and Mallowcloud averted his gaze from the ginger molly and her kit.  
"I'm Wasp, and this is my son, Apple. My mate died, and we decided to find a clan. Judging by your name, I'd assume you're a part of a clan?"

Mallowcloud nodded and flicked his tail, signalling for the pair to come with him.

Sagestar was a good tracker, but her skills in catching prey were sub-par.

"Here, let me help."

Sagestar whipped around to see a small brown tabby.  
"Errr... alright."

The pair discussed what do and eventually agreed that Sagestar would approach in a direction that would let the animal smell her and run away, right into the waiting paws of the other cat. It took awhile, but they eventually caught a decently sized bird.

"Thanks for your help! I'm Sagestar of RainClan, who are you?"

"A clan cat! I've been looking for one of those! I'm Linnet! Can I join, please?"

Sagestar was shocked by the sudden spunk and enthusiasm.  
"Uh... sure?"

The two cats walked back to camp, the bird dangling from Linnet's mouth.

To Sagestar's surprise, Mallowcloud was waiting for her at camp with not one, but two cats with him. She almost didn't notice the second - the little ginger tom was cowering behind his mother, and he jerked back behind her after sparing Sagestar a glance.  
"Who are these two?"

Mallowcloud opened his mouth to respond, but the mother answered instead.

"I'm Wasp, and this is my son-"

"Apple, my name is Apple."

Sagestar nodded.  
"Mallowcloud and I will assign mentors. The kits will train, and then will be sent on patrols that relate to the skill they train in."

She picked mentors and decided to send herself and Linnet (now Linnetpaw) on a hunting patrol, and Mallowcloud, Apple(paw) and Wasp(pelt) on a border patrol. Those patrols would happen after Linnetpaw was trained in hunting and Applepaw for battle.

 **Man, going through these and posting them is making me remember how poor my writing was. Ack.**


	3. Chapter Two

When Sagestar told the two new apprentices who their mentors were, they reacted positively. However, when they were told what their mentors would be training them for, Linnetpaw seemed uneasy.

"What's the matter?" Sagestar asked, picking up on the apprentice's uneasiness.

Linnetpaw stopped in their tracks before speaking.

"I guess it's just... I'm a good hunter already. I'm iffy in battle, wouldn't it be more sensible for me to train in a weaker skill, first? We could train for hunting next time!"

Sagestar paused for a moment, considering what Linnetpaw had just said, before nodding.  
"Yes, that makes sense. Here, why don't I show you my favourite move?"  
Sagestar flicked her tail in a 'follow me' gesture, and Linnetpaw's eyes lit up as they bounded after the leader.

️ ️_ ️

Mallowcloud arrived back at camp with Applepaw trailing a ways behind him. The quiet tom hadn't said much during their session, only nodding, shaking his head, or answering or asking questions. Mallowcloud had tried to make small talk multiple times, but the little cat had either given a non-vocal response - a shrug, head shake, or nod, or just ignored him entirely. That was alright, though. The training worked fine even if the apprentice didn't speak much. Frankly, Mallowcloud was glad they could train without much talking. He disliked talking since he was so often louder than necessary due to his almost-deafness, and his volume seemed to put Applepaw more off than other cats.

Linnetpaw and Sagestar were waiting for him when he got back to camp. Linnetpaw was smiling widely, their body almost vibrating with excitement. Their eyes lit up as soon as they saw the duo approaching, and they bounded over like a very odd grasshopper.  
"I learned the best move!"  
Linnetpaw rolled onto their back and pretended to be pinned.  
"If a big cat pins me, I can just do this!"  
Linnetpaw raked their claws at the air then launched upwards.  
"That's really good, right?"

Mallowcloud saw Applepaw nod quietly and smile quietly at Linnetpaw, before flashing Mallowcloud a look.

Even though Applepaw hadn't said anything, Mallowcloud knew what it meant.  
 _  
Could_ _ **I**_ _learn that move?_

Mallowcloud nodded, silently scolding himself for not teaching Applepaw that move first. Linnetpaw was small yes, so that move would be of use to them. However, they were still young and would likely grow in size so that move wouldn't become as necessary. Applepaw, however, was small even for his age, and Mallowcloud doubted he'd grow out of that.

Instead, he'd taught the small tom how to cling onto an opponent's extremity and not let go, and how to keep your grip if they tried to shake you off.  
Was that useful? Of course! Were there better things he could've taught the small tom, either how to make up for his small size or utilize it? Yes!

As his emotions started to take hold of him, Mallowcloud reminded himself of one thing he'd forgotten in his brief self-pity tirade. _You learn from failure._

Linnetpaw bounded over and started talking rapid-fire to Applepaw, about battle and hunting and wasn't this all so _exciting_!

Mallowcloud smiled and made eye contact with Sagestar, who was also smiling.  
Something occurred to Mallowcloud, and he padded a bit away from the two apprentices, then gestured for Sagestar to come over.

"I thought you were training Linnetpaw in hunting?"

"I was, but they brought up that they were already a skilled hunter, and that it'd be a better idea to train a weaker skill."

"That makes sense."

Sagestar nodded, and the two exchanged another glance, and carefully observed Linnetpaw and Applepaw, making sure that Linnetpaw wasn't overwhelming the quieter cat.

They didn't seem to be, and Applepaw even spoke a bit.

Satisfied with what they were seeing, Sagestar and Mallowcloud let the (still mostly one-sided) conversation wind to a close before they started the patrols.

️ ️ ️_

Sagestar was unsurprised when, as she and Linnetpaw were walking down the length of the river, the little cat spotted something and darted after it. Sagestar followed them, and they both caught a rabbit after a long tiring chase. They glanced at each other out of the corner of their eyes and smiled quietly as they walked back to camp.

️ ️ ️_

Wasppelt stuck close to her kit the entire patrol, which Mallowcloud didn't mind. He seemed to be calmer that way.

Still, Applepaw's hackles raised when a voice that was so dripping with a sweetness that it almost seemed saccharine greeted them.  
"Ooooooh, hello! I've never seen anybody else here. Who are you guys?"  
The black and white cat's eyes were glinting with excitement and naivety.

"Hello, I'm Mallowcloud, the deputy of RainClan. This is one of our warriors, Wasppelt, and her son, my apprentice, Applepaw."

The cat barely let him finish before they started speaking again.  
"Ooooooh, a clan! And you're the deputy! Do I bow?"  
They didn't even wait for an answer before speaking again.  
"Could I please join?"

Mallowcloud, smiled, amused before gesturing for the cat to follow him.

"I'm Swift! What'll my clan name be?"

"Swiftpaw will work just fine."

️ ️ ️_

Sagestar flicked her tail in slight irritation. She was going to go to the Moonpool, and she didn't want to go too late, but now she had to sort all this out. "Alright, Wasppelt, are you up to mentoring Swiftpaw?"  
"Yes."  
"Excellent. Thank you. I'll go to the Moonpool for a medicine cat, then I'll come back, send the medicine cat to hunt for some herbs, do some training, and then some patrols. There, I think that's everything?

The others nodded, and Sagestar took a deep breath.  
"Alright then. I'm headed to the Moonpool, and we'll do the other things when I come back. No sooner. Is that clear?"  
More nods.  
Sagestar smiled politely as a goodbye, and headed off to the Moonpool.

️ ️ ️_

"StarClan, my clan has prospered under your watchful eyes, and I offer RainClan's allegiance to you if you would give me a medicine cat to heal my clan of their wounds and calm them in times of sorrow, anger, or fear."  
Having decided that was enough, Sagestar pulled back and waited.


	4. Chapter Three

The wind hissed as Sagestar waited for the medicine cat to arrive. Her ears were flattened against her head, and she shivered as the wind rustled through her fur in the same fashion as it would stir up leaves.  
Pleas _e let them arrive quickly..._

"Ah, so there you are. I was looking for you."

The fur on Sagestar's neck rose and she turned around with her ears flattened back against her head, this time not because of the wind, but because of fear. She relaxed once she noted that the cat who had scared her so much was just a light brown tabby. Judging by the bundle of herbs in their mouth, they were the medicine cat Sagestar had requested.  
"Hello. I'm grateful that you've arrived. I would think that you're the medicine cat that I requested, correct? What's your name?"

"I'm Briarleaf. Who are you?"

Sagestar blinked wildly.  
"A clan cat...?

"Yes..." Briarleaf sounded more than a little bit peeved as if she'd heard that more than once.

"Anyway, I'm Sagestar, leader of RainClan. What's that purple herb you're carrying? I've seen the others, they're cobwebs and catmint, but what's the other one?"

"Rosemary."  
"Oh. What's that used for?"

Briarleaf looked aside.  
"It's used to mask the scent of bodies."

"Why do you have that herb?"  
"Why don't you connect the dots yourself? I'm a clan cat, and I'm alone. My last herb stores are two herbs used for healing, and one used for preparing dead bodies.  
Realization dawned on Sagestar like a storm cloud rolling over the sun. She gaped, her mouth opening and closing, but no sound came out.

"Save your breath. Where's your camp?"  
"Follow me."

Briarleaf followed behind Sagestar, rather than beside her. While Sagestar wished she could read the expression on the face of her new medicine cat, she was glad that Briarleaf couldn't see the stunned expression on her new leader's face. 

* * *

Sagestar returned to camp and introduced Briarleaf to the others before leading her into the medicine cat's den that she'd picked out.

The entrance was a large hole in a thicket of bushes. The inside was large and damp, the floor made of dirt and broken chunks of stone. There was some sort of two-leg object in the den, but it didn't worry Sagestar, as it had long been swallowed up by nature.

"Well, this is your den. Set it up however you like, I'm going to train my apprentice with my deputy."

Briarleaf nodded and started setting her herbs out.

Satisfied, Sagestar turned and left. 

* * *

Mallowcloud smiled fondly, watching Applepaw practice his pouncing.  
"Excellent! I doubt even the fastest of prey wouldn't be able to escape that!"

Applepaw sagged.  
"You're just saying that."

"What? No!"  
Mallowcloud followed Applepaw's gaze over to Linnetpaw, who seemed to be a natural at everything involving hunting.  
"Every cat has a different set of skills. You might just not know your skill set, yet."

"What if I don't have any skills? What if I'm just horrible at anything? Or just average at best?"

Mallowcloud flinched. Applepaw said average as if it were some sort of severe insult.  
"I'm a -cloud cat. Do you know what that means?"

"No...? What does it mean?"

"Somebody who is calm and kind. The only way a cat can get the -cloud suffix is if they're average or below average in everything that warrants a skill suffix. Even if you are 'average' you could still be a -cloud cat."

Applepaw's eyes lit up.  
"I could be like _you_?"

Mallowcloud nodded cheerfully, and Applepaw beamed.

"Hey, Applepaw?"

Applepaw turned around to face Linnetpaw. He tilted his head to one side.  
"What?"

"I've pretty much finished my training. Do you want some help from a master?"  
Linnetpaw grinned and flicked their head teasingly.

Applepaw laughed softly.  
"Sure."

The two raced off to train together, and Mallowcloud and Sagestar exchanged a small smile. Sagestar padded off, while Mallowcloud stayed to supervise his apprentice.  
Things were going well. 

* * *

Swiftpaw dodged a blow from his mentor.  
"Isn't this a little... intense for a first training session?"

"In battle, your enemies won't go easy just because you're new. Learn the important moves first."  
"I suppose that makes sense..."

Wasppelt slammed into Swiftpaw and he stumbled back, crashing into a shallow ditch.  
Pain flared in his paw, and he yelped.

"Swiftpaw, are you alright! I think you were right, this was a little intense..."  
Swiftpaw glanced at his paw. A long gash was sliced into his paw pad, and he shuddered. He really didn't like the sight of blood.  
"No, I'm alright."

Swiftpaw scrambled up the ditch and followed behind his mentor, hoping that she didn't notice his limp. 

* * *

After getting help from both Mallowcloud and Linnetpaw, Applepaw considered himself ready for the hunting patrol. The small hunting party consisted of Applepaw, Linnetpaw, and Mallowcloud.

For the first while, there wasn't a single prey-animal around. Even though the leaves were starting to return to the trees and the snow was melting into the grass and dirt, the prey was still a little scarce. Finally, Applepaw spotted a small, pale brown, spotted bird.

Applepaw nudged Linnetpaw.  
"Hey, bird."

Communicating through gestures and a few whispered words, Linnetpaw and Applepaw agreed with Mallowcloud that they would chase the bird towards her.

It wasn't long before the bird dangled from Mallowcloud's mouth.

They headed back to camp, Applepaw's eyes bright. 

* * *

Swiftpaw limped along behind Sagestar and Wasppelt. A few times, the two glanced back and asked if he was alright, but he managed to keep his injury hidden for the most part.

It was not long before suddenly, Swiftpaw was knocked over, his paws skidding on the dirt, grass, and stones.  
The various things sliced along his already cut pawpad, and he yowled in pain, thrashing around beneath the cat pinning him to the ground.  
Heart pounding, he kicked up several times, tossing the cat off him before scampering a few meters away and hissing, his hackles raised and ears pulled back.

"I uh, I'm so sorry!"

Swiftpaw's ears raised and he twitched his tail in confusion.  
"You're sorry for attacking me?"

"I didn't realize you were so young. I mean, I'm not so old myself, but... I've just been running for a long time and I freak out when I see anybody else. Everything just feels so threatening..."  
The cat said all of that as if it were one, very long sentence, not taking many breaths as they spoke.

"What's your name?"  
"I... don't have one."

Sagestar sighed, smiled softly, and gestured for the new cat to come along with them.

The cat lurched back and looked around as if they thought Sagestar was gesturing for somebody else to come along. Once the cat deduced that they were indeed the one being invited along, they returned Sagestar's smile and started falling along behind them.

Swiftpaw barely took one step before he yowled in pain."

"Swiftpaw? What's wrong?"  
"Uhhhhh... my paw. I, um, think I cut it when I got attacked."

Wasppelt walked beside him, acting as support so that he could move with less pain.

It felt like forever, with Swiftpaw limping along so slowly, but they did reach the camp, where they were greeted by Applepaw, Linnetpaw, Mallowcloud, and their new medicine cat, Briarleaf.

"Swiftpaw hurt his paw. Could you get some cobwebs for him?"

Briarleaf nodded and padded off, and the new cat spotted Mallowcloud, and the bird hanging from his jaws.

"What kind of bird is that?"  
"Oh, uhhhhhhhhhhh, it's a Dunnock?"  
"Could that be my name?"

Sagestar nodded cheerfully.  
"How about Dunnockpelt?"

Dunnockpelt nodded and smiled, matching Sagestar's happiness.

Briarleaf came back after a brief wait, and with a bit of protesting from Swiftpaw's end, she got the cobweb around his paw. While Briarleaf did that, Sagestar divided up the prey in the pile, and the clan ate together while Sagestar organized the patrols that would go out after Sagestar returned from the moonpool.

"Briarleaf, you look for herbs. Mallowcloud, Dunnockpelt, and Applepaw will patrol the borders. Linnetpaw, Wasppelt and I will hunt. Swiftpaw you'll be staying back. I don't want you to stress your paw. You'll learn leadership skills with Wasppelt, and Linnetpaw and Applepaw will learn climbing. I'll take the bird to the moonpool, I think StarClan might be getting a little tired of non-physical offerings.

Sagestar flicked her tail from side to side, in an almost rhythmic way. The walk to the moonpool was starting to get tedious, but she was eager to meet the new cat.

She arrived at the pool and dropped the bird within its waters.  
"StarClan, I offer this bird. I don't mind who you send me, whether they be young or old, or what rank they will fill. Thank you."  
Sagestar pulled back and waited.


	5. Chapter Four

It wasn't long before Sagestar heard somebody coming up behind her. She turned around to see a fluffy white cat with pale green eyes approaching her, stumbling slightly over the ground before slipping onto the ground.

Sagestar's stomach twisted and her mouth went dry.  
 _Is she dead?  
_ Sagestar ran over to the body of the white cat, who was shaking slightly on the ground where she'd fallen.  
"Are you alright?"  
"D-dead. He's dead, no, he can't be..."  
"Who's dead?"

The cat on the ground didn't respond, just continued shaking and repeating those words.

Sagestar repeated her question several times before finally trying to rouse the poor cat from her loop. After she gently shook the cat, they went from repeated strings of words to utter silence.

It was nearly a minute before the cat finally spoke, her voice thick and warbling.  
"My mate..."  
"I'm so sorry. What's your name?"

Sagestar averted her gaze.  
 _I'm so bad at this..._

"Campion. Yours?"

Sagestar flinched in surprise. The white cat had gone from whimpering on the ground to steely and closed off in a matter of seconds.

"Errrrrr... I'm Sagestar, leader of RainClan."  
"Huh. Clan cat. Mind if I join?"

Sagestar shook her head.

"Great. Which way?"

Sagestar flicked her tail in the direction of camp.  
"Uh... follow me?"

The two cats walked side by side in silence for a few minutes before Sagestar spoke.  
"Do you want to talk about-"  
"Nope. don't wanna talk. Walk faster."

Sagestar sighed and sped up. Luckily, she was able to keep her mouth shut for the rest of the trip. 

* * *

Briarleaf tracked her way through the long, damp grass until she found a small patch of comfrey roots. Her face lit up and she dug up the two roots and carried them carefully in her mouth. the root wasn't meant to be ingested and she didn't want to harm herself or the root by eating any portion.

She spotted a white cat as she re-entered camp, and her shoulders sagged.  
She' _s in shock, and I don't have any poppy seeds or thyme._

The cat's fur bristled once she spotted Briarleaf, but Sagestar said something and the cat relaxed, giving Briarleaf a curt, formal nod.  
Briarleaf returned the nod. She'd find the poppy seeds or thyme later. 

* * *

Mallowcloud's patrol was an uneventful as all the patrols he'd been on up to this point, and his patrol-mates trailed behind him absent-mindedly, occaisonally stopping to investigate a strange smell that would nearly always turn out to be old or a false alarm. But this time was apparently different, as Mallowcloud picked up on the scent of milk. He raised his head in alarm, and turned to face Applepaw, the youngest of their small group, and therefor most likely to easily verify the freshness of the scent.  
"Applepaw, could you come over here and investigate this scent? It's definetly the scent of milk, but I'm not so sure how fresh it is."

The ginger-furred apprentice whirled around to see if there was some other Applepaw the deputy could have been referencing, but upon realizing that he was the focus of Mallowcloud's request, he came forward to check the scent.  
"Yes, that's a fresh scent. Really fresh, actually. Should we follow it?"

Mallowcloud turned to face Dunnockpelt, who titled their head to one side and smiled softly.  
"Well, I don't see why not."

Mallowcloud followed the trail of the scent, he and the rest of the patrol anxious as to what they would find at the end. 

* * *

The small group of hunters walked in silence to the forest, where Sagestar flicked her tail, silently indicating that the group pay attention.  
"Prey is plentiful right now and we're all competent hunters. I suggest that we split up. Wasppelt, you've said that you've fished for prey before?"  
"I have. I'm not excellent at it, but I'm competent enough."  
"Good. You know where the river is? Fish there. It's alright if you don't get anything, it's good to train as well. Linnetpaw and I will hunt around the river, and we'll all be far enough away from eachother to not disturb eachother's catches, but close enough to help the others if something goes wrong. Is that clear?"

Sagestar's group nodded enthusiastically, and they continued walking to the river area. Upon reaching that area, Sagestar climbed a tree and waited patiently on the branch, hiding so that her scent was masked.  
A small, black and white bird landed on the branch across from Sagestar, and it wasn't long before she had the little thing in her mouth. Satisfied with her catch, she climbed down the tree to see Wasppelt with a large fish and Linnetpaw with another bird.  
Greatly pleased with that day's turnout, the group headed back to camp. 

* * *

Linnetpaw stood by the tree patiently as their mentor, Sagestar, ran over the process of how to climb a tree without falling and nastily snapping your neck. Applepaw, Mallowcloud, and Dunnockpelt weren't back from their patrol yet, and Linnetpaw shifted on their feet worriedly, silently pleading that nothing bad had happened to them.

"Linnetpaw, are you listening to me? This is very important."

Linnetpaw jerked upwards, blinking wildly.  
"Sorry, sorry, I'm sorry! I must've zoned out."

It took a few tries, but eventually, Linnetpaw was able to get a decent way up the tree. Sagestar told them to come down after a few failed attempts to go higher.  
Embarrassment heated Linnetpaw's fur. They had only done okay today. Usually, things went their way, but today...

"Linnetpaw, are you worried about the patrol? I'm sure they'll be fine, they'll be back soon!"  
"Of course."  
"You didn't seem to be at your most focused today. I'd be happy to train you some more later, if that's what you'd want?""

Linnetpaw smiled warmly.  
"I'd like that."

Linnetpaw felt just a little bit calmer as they headed back into camp. 

* * *

Swiftpaw's head dipped as Wasppelt drilled him on leadership skills. It was soooooooooooooo boring and all he wanted to do was go out and play, but he couldn't because of his dumb paw and dumb Wasppelt and dumb him for not saying anything! Now he was holed up in the apprentice's den for a while until he could walk without pain. It hurt so bad, and he was so bored.

Wasppelt tapped him on the shoulder, and with a groan, he looked back up, trying his best to focus as the molly tried to teach the bored apprentice. 

* * *

Linnetpaw shifted uncomfortably as Sagestar called the clan back into camp to arrange the next patrols. Mallowcloud, Applepaw, and Dunnockpelt weren't back yet, and Linnetpaw was terrified that something terrible had happened.

After the few minutes that it took for the entire clan of eight to gather, worry grew deep in Linnetpaw's chest.

Sagestar finally spoke, rouing them from their worry.  
"Our patrol isn't back yet, but once they return, they and I will go hunting. Wasppelt, Linnetpaw, and Swiftpaw will be going on patrol, provided that Swiftpaw feels better."

The black and white apprentice nodded cheerfully, and Sagestar continued.

"I will be teaching Linnetpaw how to fish, and I'll request that Mallowcloud do the same for Applepaw once they return. Wasppelt, could you train Swiftpaw to hunt?"

The ginger molly nodded, and Sagestar smiled.

"Good. Then that concludes this meeting. We'll eat right now, and the patrol eats whenever they return. After you eat, Briarleaf, would you mind finding some more herbs?

Linnetpaw headed to the fresh-kill pile with the other cats, trying their hardest to relax.


End file.
